“Lilly,” he whispered as he broke away from her lips to trail his open mouth down past her ear to her throat and beyond. The light shirt she had on was no hindrance to his questing hand as laces came undone and buttons unbuttoned. Soft air currents wafted across her bare skin, followed closely by Luc’s hot, moist breath, and then his lips and tongue.
He licked the hollow above her collarbone, and her whole body clenched. He nipped her skin where her breast just began to rise, and her knees went suddenly weak. As his head moved lower, she gasped, and her head twisted in an agony of desire against the hard wall behind her until, finally, his tongue swathed over and around one turgid peak.
“Luc!” She cried out as his mouth tortured her with a devilish suction, making her want unattainable things. She’d never wanted so badly, so fast, or so unwisely.
She moaned as he moved even closer, his powerful thigh putting pressure on the sensitive apex of her thighs as he moved to her other breast. Luc pulled back just slightly at the sound, his gorgeous blue gaze glazed with passion as he looked deep into her eyes.
“You want this, don’t you?”
“God help me, I do.” Her whispered words let something loose inside her. Something that had been chained but was now free. The thought gave her pause and brought a hint of fear in its wake. “But this is wrong.”
Luc bent to kiss her skin once more, whispering his denial against her body. “How can anything that feels so beautiful be wrong?” He nipped her neck playfully as he moved back up her body to reclaim her lips. Pausing with his open mouth over hers, their breaths mingling, he looked deep into her eyes. “I’ve never felt this before, Lilly. I want you more than anything.”
She held his gaze as his words ran sluggishly through her mind. He wanted her. The feeling was very mutual, but was wanting enough? Never before had Lilly been so tempted to disregard her own standards, but she wanted more than to just scratch an itch. After her first fumbling encounters as a youth, Lilly had decided never to give herself without at least some kind of feeling. She had to care for the men she took to her bed and wanted them to feel affection, at least, for her in return. That was her rule, and it had stood her in good stead while making her living working and living among men in a mostly male profession.
So, why was she so tempted now? She’d known this man—this elf—for just a day, and her body wanted nothing more than to surrender to the pleasure she sensed he could give her, but doubts lingered.
What was she doing? This wasn’t like her at all. She needed time to think. Or some sign from him that he cared for her, as unlikely as that would be given their short acquaintance, at least a little. And the fear uppermost in her mind was that he was only out for the novelty of being with someone so different from his own people.
“Why?”
Luc paused, drawing back slightly, still holding her gaze. “I don’t honestly know, but I’ve never been attracted so strongly before to any woman, be she fey or human. I look forward to our journey together.”
Alarm bells started clanging in her mind. He’d been doing well until that last reference to their trip. Was he making his move now, so he’d have a bedmate on the road? Many soldiers had tried that with her before they all headed out on campaign. She was wary of that kind of thing as a rule. No good ever came of it when the journey was over, and the man walked away from her without a backward glance. She’d succumbed to handsome army rogues twice in her life and vowed it would never happen again.
Though Luc was also a warrior, Lilly had been trained by the best. He’d let up the pressure on her body just enough for her to get a knee between them. She used it to her best advantage, brushing up warningly against the large bulge that, in another time and place, would have impressed her. As it was, he was damned lucky she didn’t cause him permanent damage.
“Get your paws off me, elf,” she sneered, “or you’ll be singing soprano for a week.” Blue eyes widened as she applied pressure in his most sensitive area. Luc backed off so fast, it could have been comical, but she was in no mood for laughter.
“That’s the second time you’ve called me that, Lilly. I assume you know how insulting it is.” His expression had gone from desire to anger in seconds as she tugged the ends of her shirt together.
“About as insulting as you wanting to bed me simply because I’m a human novelty and a traveling companion. Well, not to worry. When you get to King Alric’s court, I’m sure you won’t lack for human bedpartners. Until then, just leave me alone.”
She turned her back on him, deliberately insulting him in a way only another warrior would understand. By damn, he’d treat her with more respect. She wasn’t easy, despite her moments of weakness, and she wasn’t up for his kind of game. Not now. She was still on a mission, and it was vital that she complete it. Her King was counting on her.
CHAPTER FIVE
The next morning, Lilly broke her fast with Lady Adain. She’d once again followed the scents of food toward the dining hall and found two places set at the table, one occupied by the Lady.
“Join me, dear,” the Lady invited. “The boys have already gone to start their day. They rise earlier than I because of the warriors’ schedule rotation. And Luc has to set things in motion, so everything is in order while he’s away.”
Lilly sat, and within moments, Belinda had brought a plate in for her from the kitchen. That see-through fireplace had more than one use and had to be handy for the staff to keep an eye on the needs of their employers.
Lilly was ill at ease, all alone with Lady Adain. This woman wielded great power, but it was more than that. Lilly was used to being in King Alric’s presence and counted him a friend, but this woman was something else again. Magical, through and through, like all fair folk, Lady Adain was even more fearsome than Elira, the head mage. There was something about this woman and her ancient eyes that made Lilly pause.
Not to mention the fact that both Lilly and Alric had seen Lady Adain well before they ever met. Alric in his prophetic vision of the future and Lilly in dreams. Lilly hadn’t really spoken about the dreams that had filled her with such conviction that she must undertake the journey to find this woman. Now that she was here, she was at a loss. She didn’t know what she was supposed to do.
“A vision sent you here,” the Lady said, inviting a reply.
There it was. The root of the problem out in the open. Lilly felt a mixture of relief and dread. On the one hand, she was relieved to discuss her strange dreams, but on the other, she was afraid what they might mean. She would have been content to leave without discussing them at all but knew, in her heart, that would have been the wrong course. She’d have worried and wondered about those strange dreams all the way back home and ever after.
“King Alric saw you in several visions. I also had a few odd dreams and happened to mention them to my liege. He was the one who understood the significance and said I’d find you here.”
“When did the dreams start? Was it before or after your healing talent manifested?”
“Shortly after, milady.” Lilly fidgeted a bit in her seat.
“Had you ever had prophetic dreams before?”
“No, never, milady.”
“Any since?”